Display control device, image correction method, and recording medium recorded with program

ABSTRACT

A display control device includes a processor. The processor being configured to: output an image to a projection unit for projecting an image onto an interior surface of a vehicle; acquire vision information of an occupant of the vehicle; detect misalignment between a target image projected onto the interior surface and a design-reference state of the target image based on vision information acquired while the occupant fixates on the target image projected onto the interior surface; and correct an image projected by the projection unit based on the misalignment.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based on and claims priority under 35 USC 119 fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2020-055167 filed on Mar. 25, 2020, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a display control device forcontrolling an image projected onto an interior surface, an imagecorrection method, and a recording medium recorded with a program.

Related Art

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open (JP-A) No. 2018-079838 discloses arearward projection device serving as a display device that projects animage from a projector inside an instrument panel of a vehicle onto acurved surface of the instrument panel.

However, there is room for improvement in the display device describedin JP-A No. 2018-079838 from the perspective of correcting distortion ofthe projected image as a result of variation in the profile of theinstrument panel and variation during projector assembly.

SUMMARY

An object of the present disclosure is to provide a display controldevice, an image correction method and a program capable of reducing thetime required to correct distortion of an image projected onto aninterior surface.

A display control device of a first aspect includes an output sectionconfigured to output an image to a projection unit for projecting animage onto an interior surface of a vehicle, an acquisition sectionconfigured to acquire vision information of an occupant of the vehicle,a detection section configured to detect misalignment between a targetimage projected onto the interior surface and a design-reference stateof the target image based on vision information acquired by theacquisition section while the occupant fixates on the target imageprojected onto the interior surface, and a correction section configuredto correct an image projected by the projection unit based on themisalignment detected by the detection section.

The display control device of the first aspect is applied to the vehicleequipped with the projection unit that projects an image onto theinterior surface. The display control device is formed such that theoutput section outputs an image to the projection unit, and theacquisition section is capable of acquiring the vision information ofthe occupant. When the occupant fixates on the target image projectedonto the interior surface, the detection section detects misalignmentbetween the target image projected onto the interior surface and thedesign-reference state based on the acquired vision information.

The correction section then corrects the image projected by theprojection unit based on the detected misalignment. Note that the targetimage refers to an image applied with a dot or hollow circular marker,an image applied with a crosshair pattern configured from a combinationof vertical and horizontal lines, or the like, and is an image enablingthe occupant to fixate on a particular location. The design-referencestate refers to a display state of the target image in a case in whichthe projection of the target image onto the interior surface is true todesign. In this display control device, distortion of images projectedonto the interior surface is corrected by the occupant fixating on thetarget image, thus reducing the time required for correction.

A display control device of a second aspect is the display controldevice of the first aspect, wherein the target image includes at leastone feature point, the vision information is position information of afixation point when the occupant fixates on one feature point on theinterior surface, and the detection section is configured to detect themisalignment by comparing a design-reference position of the one featurepoint against a position of the one fixation point corresponding to theone feature point.

In the display control device of the second aspect, the visioninformation is position information of a fixation point of the occupantcorresponding to the feature point on the interior surface, and thedetection section detects the misalignment by comparing thedesign-reference position of the feature point against the position ofthe fixation point corresponding to the feature point. Note that thefeature point is a point in the target image that the occupant is ableto fixate on. This display control device enables the position of thefeature point in the projected target image to be ascertained byacquiring the fixation point of the occupant, and thereby enablesmisalignment with respect to the design-reference position to bedetected.

A display control device of a third aspect is the display control deviceof the second aspect, wherein the output section outputs the targetimage to the projection unit when the projection unit is being assembledto the vehicle, the target image including plural of feature points tobe displayed at plural different positions on the interior surface.

The display control device of the third aspect enables misalignment ofthe display on the interior surface to be precisely detected by havingthe occupant fixate on the plural points on the target image when theprojection unit is being assembled to the vehicle.

A display control device of a fourth aspect is the display controldevice of the third aspect, wherein the output section outputs thetarget image such that the plural feature points are sequentiallydisplayed on the interior surface.

In cases in which plural feature point are displayed on the interiorsurface, there is a need on the device side to distinguish which featurepoint out of the plural feature points the occupant is fixating on. Incontrast thereto, in the display control device of the fourth aspect,the feature points are sequentially displayed on the interior surfaceone at a time, thereby enabling distinguishing of which feature point isbeing fixated on to be simplified.

A display control device of a fifth aspect is the display control deviceof the third aspect or the fourth aspect, wherein the target imageincludes at least one of the feature points displayed inside aprescribed region of the interior surface, and feature points displayedat least at four locations at an outer edge of the prescribed region.

In the display control device of the fifth aspect, in the target imageat least one of the feature points is provided at the inside and four ofthe feature points are provided at the outer periphery, thereby enablingtilting of the image projected onto the interior surface and distortionof the interior surface to be detected.

A display control device of a sixth aspect is the display control deviceof any one aspect of the second aspect to the fifth aspect, wherein asingle one of the at least one feature points is included in the targetimage in a case in which the vehicle is being utilized by the occupant.Moreover, the display control device further includes the correctionsection configured to perform correction in a case in which themisalignment is within a permissible range within which correction ispermitted, and a notification section configured to perform a prescribednotification in a case in which the misalignment exceeds the permissiblerange.

In the display control device of the sixth aspect, providing the singlefeature point in correction when the vehicle is being utilized enablesmisalignment of the image display position due to translational movementto be detected while suppressing inconvenience to the occupant who isbeing made to fixate on the image in order to correct the image.Moreover, this display control device is also capable performingexternal notification in cases in which the display position is greatlymisaligned.

A display control device of a seventh aspect is the display controldevice of the sixth aspect, wherein as the feature point, the outputsection outputs to the projection unit a target employed to acquire irisinformation of the occupant by an authentication section for performingiris authentication, and while the iris authentication is beingperformed, the detection section detects the misalignment based on theiris information acquired by the authentication section when theoccupant fixates on the target.

The display control device of the seventh aspect enables imagecorrection to be performed while iris authentication is being performed.

A display control device of an eighth aspect is the display controldevice of the first aspect, wherein the vision information is viewpointinformation regarding an observation point of an eye of the occupant,and the detection section detects the misalignment by comparing adesign-reference shape of the target image against an apparent shape ofthe target image based on the viewpoint information and a profile of theinterior surface.

In the display control device of the eighth aspect, the apparent shapeof the target image being displayed to the occupant is identified basedon information for an observation point of the eye of the occupant andon the profile of the interior surface. This display control device thusenables misalignment arising due to differences in display region andangle according to the position of the eye of the occupant to bedetected by comparing the design-reference shape of the target imageagainst the apparent shape of the target image.

A display control device of a ninth aspect is the display control deviceof any one aspect of the first aspect to the eighth aspect, wherein thecorrection section performs correction to reshape an image projected bythe projection unit so as to eliminate the misalignment detected by thedetection section, and the output section outputs the corrected image tothe projection unit.

The display control device of the ninth aspect enables displaycorrection to be performed without any additional hardwareconfiguration.

An image correction method of a tenth aspect includes output processingto output an image to a projection unit for projecting an image onto aninterior surface of a vehicle, acquisition processing to acquire visioninformation of an occupant of the vehicle, detection processing todetect misalignment between a target image projected onto the interiorsurface and a design-reference state of the target image based on thevision information acquired while the occupant fixates on the targetimage projected onto the interior surface, and correction processing tocorrect a projected image based on the detected misalignment.

The image correction method of the tenth aspect is applied to thevehicle equipped with the projection unit that projects an image ontothe interior surface. In the image correction method the outputprocessing outputs an image to the projection unit, and the acquisitionprocessing acquires the vision information of the occupant. When theoccupant fixates on the target image projected onto the interiorsurface, misalignment between the target image projected onto theinterior surface and the design-reference state of the target image isdetected in the detection processing based on the acquired visioninformation. The image projected is corrected in the correctionprocessing based on the detected misalignment. Note that the targetimage and the design-reference state are as described above. In thisimage correction method, distortion of images projected onto theinterior surface is corrected by the occupant fixating on the targetimage, thus reducing the time required for correction.

An eleventh aspect is a non-transitory recording medium recorded with aprogram. The program causes a computer to execute processing. Theprocessing includes output processing to output an image to a projectionunit for projecting an image onto an interior surface of a vehicle,acquisition processing to acquire vision information of an occupant ofthe vehicle, detection processing to detect misalignment between atarget image projected onto the interior surface and a design-referencestate of the target image based on the vision information acquired whilethe occupant fixates on the target image projected onto the interiorsurface, and correction processing to correct a projected image based onthe detected misalignment.

The program recorded in the non-transitory recording medium of theeleventh aspect causes a computer to execute the following processing ina vehicle equipped with the projection unit that projects an image ontothe interior surface. Namely, this program includes outputting an imageto the projection unit by the output processing, and acquiring thevision information of the occupant by the acquisition processing. Whenthe occupant fixates on the target image projected onto the interiorsurface, misalignment between the target image projected onto theinterior surface and the design-reference state of the target image isdetected in the detection processing based on the acquired visioninformation. The image projected is corrected in the correctionprocessing based on the detected misalignment. Note that the targetimage and the design-reference state are as described above. In thisprogram, distortion of images projected onto the interior surface iscorrected by the occupant fixating on the target image, thus reducingthe time required for correction.

The present disclosure is accordingly capable of reducing the timerequired to correct distortion of an image projected onto an interiorsurface.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described indetail based on the following figures, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an external appearance of a displaydevice according to a first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a centralserver and a vehicle of the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of adisplay device of the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a configuration ofstorage of a display control device of the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a functionalconfiguration of a display control device of the first exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a test image displayed ona projection surface in the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an authentication imagedisplayed on a projection surface in the first exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between adisplay device of the first exemplary embodiment and the eyes of anoccupant;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of assembly processingexecuted by the display control device of the first exemplaryembodiment;

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating a flow of adjustment processingexecuted by the display control device of the first exemplaryembodiment; and

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating positional relationships between adisplay device of a second exemplary embodiment and the eyes of anoccupant.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION First Exemplary Embodiment

Explanation follows regarding a vehicle 12 installed with a displaydevice of a first exemplary embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 1, in thevehicle 12 according to the present exemplary embodiment, a dashboard 14disposed at a vehicle front side of front seats 13 on which occupants Pcan sit is provided with display devices 10. One of the display devices10 is provided for each of the front seats 13. Each of the displaydevices 10 includes a projection surface 16, serving as a displaysection used to display images on the dashboard 14. The projectionsurface 16 is an example of an interior surface.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a projector 24 (see FIG. 2)installed behind the dashboard 14 projects an image onto the projectionsurface 16 from behind the dashboard 14. The occupant P is thereby ableto view the image from a front side of the projection surface 16. Atouch panel 26, serving as an input device, is provided between the leftand right of the dashboard 14.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the display device 10 is configured includingthe projector 24 serving as a projection unit that projects images ontothe projection surface 16, and a display control device 20 that controlsthe images output to the projector 24.

In addition to the display device 10, the vehicle 12 according to thepresent exemplary embodiment is configured including an eye trackingsystem 30, an authentication system 40, and a data communication module(DCM) 50.

An onboard camera 32 that is installed inside the vehicle cabin in orderto image the occupant P is electrically connected to the eye trackingsystem 30. The eye tracking system 30 is thereby capable of acquiring animage of the occupant P captured by the onboard camera 32. The eyetracking system 30 may be provided as a dedicated device, or may beprovided as a device also employed by a drive recorder or augmentedreality (AR) glasses.

The authentication system 40 serves as an authentication section that iscapable of acquiring an iris scan of an eye E of the occupant P (seeFIG. 1) and of performing iris authentication.

The DCM 50 serves as a communication system, and functions as acommunication device for communicating with the vehicle 12 exterior. TheDCM 50 of the present exemplary embodiment is connected to a centralserver 60 through a network N. The central server 60 is thereby capableof acquiring information from the vehicle 12, and also capable ofproviding information to the vehicle 12. The DCM 50 of the presentexemplary embodiment is capable of communicating via 5G, LTE, or thelike.

The display control device 20, the eye tracking system 30, theauthentication system 40, and the DCM 50 are connected together throughan external bus 22. A communication protocol employing a controller areanetwork (CAN) is employed as the communication method of the externalbus 22. Note that the communication method is not limited thereto, and aLAN protocol such as Ethernet (registered trademark) may be adoptedinstead.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating hardware configuration of thedisplay device 10 installed in the vehicle 12 of the present exemplaryembodiment.

The display control device 20 is configured including a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 20A, read only memory (ROM) 20B, random accessmemory (RAM) 20C, storage 20D, a communication interface (I/F) 20E, andan input/output I/F 20F. The CPU 20A, the ROM 20B, the RAM 20C, thestorage 20D, the communication I/F 20E, and the input/output I/F 20F areconnected together so as to be capable of communicating with each otherthrough an internal bus 20H.

The CPU 20A serves as a central processing unit that executes variousprograms and controls various sections. Namely, the CPU 20A reads aprogram from the ROM 20B or the storage 20D and executes the program inthe RAM 20C, serving as a workspace. The CPU 20A is an example of aprocessor. In the present exemplary embodiment, a control program 100 isstored in the storage 20D (see FIG. 4). The CPU 20A executes the controlprogram 100, thereby causing the display control device 20 to functionas an output section 200, an acquisition section 210, a detectionsection 220, a correction section 230, and a notification section 240,as illustrated in FIG. 5.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the ROM 20B stores various programs andvarious data. The RAM 20C acts as a workspace where programs and dataare temporarily stored.

The storage 20D is configured by a hard disk drive (HDD) or a solidstate drive (SSD), and stores various programs and various data.

The communication I/F 20E is an interface for communicating with the eyetracking system 30, the authentication system 40, and the DCM 50. Thecommunication I/F 20E is connected to the external bus 22.

The input/output I/F 20F is an interface for communicating with variousdevices installed in the vehicle 12. In the display control device 20 ofthe present exemplary embodiment, the projector 24 and the touch panel26 are connected through the input/output I/F 20F. Note that theprojector 24 and the touch panel 26 may be directly connected throughthe internal bus 20H.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating configuration of the storage 20D.The control program 100, image information 110, display positioninformation 120, misalignment information 130, and correctioninformation 140 are stored in the storage 20D.

The control program 100 is a program for executing assembly processingand adjustment processing, described later.

Target images 80, these being images to be displayed on the projector24, are stored in the image information 110. The target images 80include a test image 81 as illustrated in FIG. 6, and an authenticationimage 82 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The test image 81 is an image outputduring the assembly processing, described later. As illustrated in FIG.6, the test image 81 includes plural markers 84, these being featurepoints displayed at plural different positions on the projection surface16. Note that the feature points are points in the target image 80 forthe occupant P to fixate on. Specifically, the markers 84 are providedat a total of five locations, these being at the vertical and horizontalcenter of the projection surface 16, and close to the respective cornersof the rectangular projection surface 16. As illustrated in FIG. 7, theauthentication image 82 is an image that is output during the adjustmentprocessing, described later. The authentication image 82 includes asingle marker 84 to guide the eyes E of the occupant P toward theonboard camera 32 in order for the authentication system 40 to acquireiris information of the occupant P for iris authentication. This marker84 is provided at the vertical and horizontal center of the projectionsurface 16.

Design-reference three-dimensional coordinates of the respective markers84 are also stored in the image information 110 as design information.In the present exemplary embodiment, in cases in which the displaydevice 10 has been assembled to the vehicle 12 true to design, thecoordinates of the respective markers 84 will be present on theprojection surface 16.

Coordinates of fixation points of the occupant P, as measured by the eyetracking system 30, are stored in the display position information 120.As illustrated in FIG. 8, the fixation points correspond to locationswhere the occupant P fixates on the markers 84. Namely, the coordinatesof fixation points of the occupant P corresponding to the five locationsof the markers 84 in the test image 81, and the coordinates of afixation point corresponding the single location of the marker 84 in theauthentication image 82, can be stored in the display positioninformation 120.

During execution of the assembly processing and the adjustmentprocessing, information regarding misalignment between the positions ofthe respective markers 84 on the projection surface 16 and the positionsof design-reference points 92 of the respective markers 84 (see FIG. 6and FIG. 7) is stored in the misalignment information 130. Note that thedesign-reference points 92 and the coordinates of the markers 84 alignwith each other in cases in which the display device 10 has beenassembled true to design. As previously described, the positions of therespective markers 84 on the projection surface 16 are stored in thedisplay position information 120 as the coordinates of the fixationpoints of the occupant P. Thus, deviation of the coordinates of thefixation points corresponding to the respective markers 84 from thecoordinates of the corresponding design-reference points 92, in otherwords the relative coordinates of the fixation points of the markers 84with respect to the design-reference points 92, are stored in themisalignment information 130.

Image correction amounts for the positions of the respective markers 84are stored in the correction information 140. Specifically, the image tobe output by the output section 200, described later, is reshaped suchthat relative positions of the respective markers 84 with respect to thedesign-reference points 92, which are stored as the misalignmentinformation 130, become 0.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating an example of functionalconfiguration of the display control device 20. As illustrated in FIG.5, the display control device 20 includes the output section 200, theacquisition section 210, the detection section 220, the correctionsection 230, and the notification section 240.

The output section 200 has a function of outputting various images,including the target images 80, to the projector 24. The projector 24projects the images output from the output section 200 onto theprojection surface 16, this being an interior surface 14A of the vehicle12.

The output section 200 of the present exemplary embodiment outputs thetest image 81 to the projector 24 during the assembly processing. Theoutput section 200 also outputs the authentication image 82 to theprojector 24 during the adjustment processing.

The acquisition section 210 has a function of acquiring visioninformation of the occupant P of the vehicle 12. The vision informationof the present exemplary embodiment is position information regardingthe fixation points when the occupant P fixates on the respectivemarkers 84 on the projection surface 16. The vision information isgenerated by the eye tracking system 30 based on captured imagescaptured by the onboard camera 32, and the acquisition section 210acquires the vision information from the eye tracking system 30.

The detection section 220 has a function of detecting misalignmentbetween the target image 80 as projected onto the projection surface 16and a design-reference state, based on the vision information acquiredby the acquisition section 210. In the present exemplary embodiment, thedetection section 220 detects misalignment between the target image 80as projected onto the projection surface 16 and the design-referencestate while the occupant P fixates on the target image 80 projected ontothe projection surface 16. The design-reference state refers to adisplay state of the target image 80 when projection of the target image80 onto the projection surface 16 is true to design.

During the assembly processing, described later, the detection section220 detects misalignment by comparing the coordinates of thedesign-reference points 92 of the respective markers 84 in the testimage 81 against the coordinates of the fixation points of the eyes E ofthe occupant P corresponding to the respective markers 84 when the testimage 81 is being projected onto the projection surface 16 by theprojector 24. During the adjustment processing, described later, thedetection section 220 also detects misalignment while the occupant Pfixates on the central marker 84 acting as a target in theauthentication image 82 and the authentication system 40 performs irisauthentication based on the acquired iris scan of the eye E.Specifically, misalignment is detected by comparing the coordinates ofthe design-reference point 92 of the marker 84 in the authenticationimage 82 against the coordinates of the fixation point of the eyes E ofthe occupant P corresponding to the marker 84.

The correction section 230 has a function of correcting images to beprojected by the projector 24 based on misalignment information detectedby the detection section 220. Specifically, the correction section 230reshapes the images to be projected by the projector 24 so as toeliminate the misalignment detected by the detection section 220. Thisreshaping includes changes to tilt and scale, translational movement,and so on.

Note that during the adjustment processing, described later, thecorrection section 230 only performs correction in cases in which thedetected misalignment is within a permissible range within whichcorrection is permitted. As illustrated in FIG. 7 as an example, thispermissible range is expressed by a vertical and horizontal frame 94centered on the central design-reference point 92, with correction beingpossible when the projected marker 84 falls within this frame 94.

The notification section 240 has a function of performing a prescribednotification in cases in which the misalignment detected by thedetection section 220 exceeds the permissible range (the frame 94 inFIG. 7). In cases in which the misalignment exceeds the permissiblerange, the notification section 240 of the present exemplary embodimentoutputs a support request notification to the central server 60. Onreceiving this notification, the central server 60 ascertains thatmisalignment that cannot be adjusted by the functionality of the displaycontrol device 20 has occurred in the display device 10 of the vehicle12. The central server 60 can then for example transmit installationinformation for correcting the misalignment and change the settings ofthe projector 24 in order to eliminate the misalignment of the displaydevice 10. The central server 60 may also transmit information to promptrepair of the vehicle 12 at a dealership.

Control Flow

Next, explanation follows regarding examples of processing executed bythe display control device 20 of the present exemplary embodiment, withreference to flowcharts.

First, explanation follows regarding a flow of the assembly processingexecuted when for example the dashboard 14 and the projector 24 areassembled during assembly of the display device 10 to the vehicle 12,with reference to FIG. 9. Note that the assembly processing is executedby a technician onboard the vehicle 12 fixating on the markers 84.Namely, the technician onboard the vehicle 12 corresponds to theoccupant P during the assembly processing.

At step S100 in FIG. 9, the CPU 20A outputs the test image 81 stored inthe image information 110 to the projector 24. The test image 81 isthereby displayed on the projection surface 16 as illustrated in FIG. 6.

At step S101, the CPU 20A acquires the vision information. Namely, theCPU 20A acquires the coordinates of the markers 84 that the occupant Pfixates on from the eye tracking system 30 as the vision information.Note that there are five markers 84 in the test image 81 of the presentexemplary embodiment. The position of the marker 84 that the occupant Pis fixating on is thereby identified by indicating this marker 84 usingthe touch panel 26.

At step S102, the CPU 20A detects misalignment between a givendesign-reference point 92 and the marker 84 corresponding to thisdesign-reference point 92.

At step S103, the CPU 20A determines whether or not misalignmentdetection has been performed for all of the markers 84. In cases inwhich the CPU 20A determines that misalignment detection has beenperformed for all of the markers 84, processing proceeds to step S104.In cases in which the CPU 20A determines that misalignment detection hasnot been performed for all of the markers 84, processing returns to stepS101.

At step S104, the CPU 20A generates correction information based on themisalignment amounts of the respective markers 84. For example, considera case in which the upper-left marker 84 is misaligned by 2 mm to theright and 3 mm downward with respect to the correspondingdesign-reference point 92, and the upper-right marker 84 is misalignedby 1 mm to the left and 2 mm downward with respect to the correspondingdesign-reference point 92. In such a case, correction information isgenerated in order to shift the upper-left marker 84 2 mm to the leftand 3 mm upward, and to shift the upper-right marker 84 1 mm to theright and 2 mm upward by enlarging, rotating, and moving the imagestored in the image information 110.

At step S105, the CPU 20A outputs a corrected test image 81 to theprojector 24. Specifically, the CPU 20A applies the correctioninformation to the test image 81 stored in the image information 110,and then outputs the corrected test image 81. The corrected test image81 is thereby displayed on the projection surface 16.

At step S106, the CPU 20A acquires the vision information. Namely, theCPU 20A acquires the coordinates of the marker 84 that the occupant Pfixated on from the eye tracking system 30 as the vision information.

At step S107, the CPU 20A detects misalignment between a givendesign-reference point 92 and the marker 84 corresponding to thisdesign-reference point 92.

At step S108, the CPU 20A determines whether or not all of the markers84 are located at the design-reference points 92. In cases in which allof the markers 84 are located at the corresponding design-referencepoints 92, namely, in cases in which none of the markers 84 aremisaligned, the CPU 20A ends the assembly processing. In cases in whichthe markers 84 are not all located at the corresponding design-referencepoints 92, namely in cases in which any of the markers 84 is misaligned,the CPU 20A returns to step S104. The assembly processing is therebyexecuted until misalignment has been eliminated for all the markers 84.

By executing the assembly processing, images to be projected onto theprojection surface 16 are corrected based on the correction informationand displayed at the location for which they were designed.

Next, explanation follows regarding a flow of adjustment processingexecuted in the course of use of the display device 10 in the vehicle12, with reference to FIG. 10. The adjustment processing is executedwhile the authentication system 40 is executing iris authentication.

At step S200 in FIG. 10, the CPU 20A outputs the authentication image 82stored in the image information 110 to the projector 24. Theauthentication image 82 is thereby displayed on the projection surface16 as illustrated in FIG. 7. The occupant P fixates on the centralmarker 84 in the authentication image 82, and the authentication system40 thereby acquires the iris scan of the eye E of the occupant P imagedby the onboard camera 32 in order to execute iris authentication.

At step S201, the CPU 20A acquires the vision information. Namely, theCPU 20A acquires the coordinates of the marker 84 that the occupant Pfixated on from the eye tracking system 30 or the authentication system40 as the vision information.

At step S202, the CPU 20A detects misalignment between the marker 84 andthe design-reference point 92.

At step S203, the CPU 20A executes determination as to whether or notthe misalignment of the marker 84 is within a correction-permissiblerange. In cases in which the CPU 20A determines that the misalignment ofthe marker 84 is within the correction-permissible range, processingproceeds to step S204. In cases in which the CPU 20A determines that themisalignment of the marker 84 is not within the correction-permissiblerange, namely that the misalignment exceeds the correction-permissiblerange, processing proceeds to step S205.

At step S204, the CPU 20A generates correction information based on themisalignment amount of the marker 84. For example, consider a case inwhich the central marker 84 is misaligned by 3 mm to the right and 1 mmupward with respect to the design-reference point 92. In such a case,correction information is generated in order to shift the central marker84 3 mm to the left and 1 mm downward by translational movement of theimage stored in the image information 110. The adjustment processing isthen ended.

At step S205, the CPU 20A notifies the central server 60 of a supportrequest. The adjustment processing is then ended.

When correction information is generated as a result of the adjustmentprocessing, images to be projected onto the projection surface 16 arecorrected based on the correction information and displayed at thelocation for which they were designed.

Summary of First Exemplary Embodiment

The display control device 20 of the present exemplary embodiment isapplied to a vehicle equipped with the projector 24 that projects imagesonto the projection surface 16 of the dashboard 14. The display controldevice 20 is formed such that the output section 200 outputs images tothe projector 24, and the acquisition section 210 is capable ofacquiring vision information of the occupant P. When the occupant Pfixates on a target image 80 projected onto the projection surface 16,the detection section 220 detects misalignment between the target image80 projected onto the projection surface 16 and the design-referencestate based on the acquired vision information. The correction section230 then corrects the image projected by the projector 24 based on thedetected misalignment. In the display control device 20 of the presentexemplary embodiment, distortion of images projected onto the projectionsurface 16 is corrected by the occupant P fixating on the target image80, thus reducing the time required for correction.

The vision information of the present exemplary embodiment is positioninformation relating to fixation points of the occupant P correspondingto the markers 84 on the projection surface 16, and the detectionsection 220 detects misalignment by comparing design-reference positionsof the markers 84 against the positions of the fixation pointscorresponding to the markers 84. The display control device 20 of thepresent exemplary embodiment enables the positions of the markers 84 ina projected target image 80 to be ascertained by acquiring the fixationpoints of the occupant P, and thereby enables misalignment with respectto the design-reference positions to be detected.

In the present exemplary embodiment, during the assembly processing thetest image 81 including the plural markers 84 is projected onto theprojection surface 16 when assembling the display device 10 to thevehicle 12. The present exemplary embodiment therefore enablesmisalignment of the display on the projection surface 16 to be preciselydetected by having the occupant P fixate on the plural points on thetest image 81 during the assembly processing.

In particular, in the present exemplary embodiment, in the test image 81at least one of the markers 84 is provided at the inside, and four ofthe markers 84 are provided at the outer periphery, thereby enablingtilting of images projected onto the projection surface 16 anddistortion of the interior surface to be detected.

In the present exemplary embodiment, during the adjustment processingthe authentication image 82 including the single central marker 84 isprojected onto the projection surface 16 when the vehicle 12 is utilizedby the occupant P. In the present exemplary embodiment, providing thesingle marker 84 in the authentication image 82 during the adjustmentprocessing enables misalignment of the image display position due totranslational movement to be detected while suppressing inconvenience tothe occupant P who is being made to fixate on the image in order tocorrect the image. The display control device 20 of the presentexemplary embodiment is also capable of notifying the central server 60that is external to the vehicle 12 in cases in which the displayposition is greatly misaligned.

In particular, in the present exemplary embodiment, the adjustmentprocessing is executed while iris authentication is being performed bythe authentication system 40. Namely, the present exemplary embodimentenables image correction to be performed while iris authentication isbeing performed.

In the present exemplary embodiment, the correction section 230 reshapesan image projected by the projector 24 based on the misalignmentdetected by the detection section 220. Thus, the display control device20 of the present exemplary embodiment enables display correction to beperformed without any additional hardware configuration.

Modified Example of First Exemplary Embodiment

The test image 81 that is projected onto the projection surface 16 whenassembly processing is performed includes five of the markers 84. Thetechnician acting as the occupant P therefore needs to identify theposition of the marker 84 that they are fixating on by indicating thismarker 84 using the touch panel 26. By contrast, in a modified exampleof the first exemplary embodiment, the output section 200 outputs a testimage 81 in which the plural markers 84 are sequentially displayed onthe projection surface 16.

In cases in which the plural markers 84 are simultaneously displayed onthe projection surface 16, there is a need to distinguish which marker84 out of the plural markers 84 the occupant P is fixating on. Incontrast thereto, in the present modified example, the markers 84 aresequentially displayed on the projection surface 16 one at a time,thereby enabling distinguishing of the marker 84 that is being fixatedon to be simplified.

Second Exemplary Embodiment

A display control device 20 of a second exemplary embodiment isconfigured to enable image correction based on the position of the eyesE of the occupant P. Explanation follows regarding points that differfrom those in the first exemplary embodiment. Note that configurationthat is the same as that in the first exemplary embodiment is allocatedthe same reference numerals, and detailed explanation thereof isomitted.

In the display control device 20 of the present exemplary embodiment,the apparent shape of a target image 80 being displayed to the occupantP is identified based on viewpoint information for an observation pointcorresponding to the position of the eyes E of the occupant P, and onthe profile of the projection surface 16. Specifically, the acquisitionsection 210 acquires the observation point of the occupant P, and thedetection section 220 identifies the shape of the target image 80projected onto the projection surface 16 as viewed from the acquiredposition of the eyes E. For example, in a case in which the eyes E ofthe occupant P are at a position P1 as illustrated in FIG. 11, thedetection section 220 identifies a display shape 17A as the apparentshape of the target image 80 based on the respective markers 84 in thetarget image 80.

In the present exemplary embodiment, a design-reference shape of thetarget image 80 is stored in the image information 110. For example, adesign-reference shape 17B corresponding to the shape of the targetimage 80 from the perspective of the eyes E of the occupant P when at aposition P2 is stored in the image information 110.

The detection section 220 compares the display shape 17A against thedesign-reference shape 17B of the target image 80. Thus, even in casesin which the eyes E are at the position P1, the correction section 230is able to show the occupant P the target image 80 based on thepre-designed design-reference shape 17B. The present exemplaryembodiment thereby enables misalignment arising due to differences indisplay region and angle according to the position of the eyes E of theoccupant P to be detected.

Remarks

Although the target images 80 that include the markers 84 as featurepoints are utilized in the assembly processing and the adjustmentprocessing of the above exemplary embodiments, there is no limitationthereto. For example, it is sufficient that a target image 80 be animage enabling the occupant P to fixate on a particular location, forexample in an image applied with crosshair pattern configured from acombination of vertical and horizontal lines.

In the display control device 20 of the above exemplary embodiments, thevision information relating to the fixation points or the observationpoint of the occupant P is acquired from the eye tracking system 30.However, there is no limitation thereto, and the display control device20 may generate the vision information based on captured images directlyacquired from the onboard camera 32.

Note that the various processing executed by the CPU 20A reading andexecuting software (a program) in the above exemplary embodiments may beexecuted by various types of processor other than a CPU. Such processorsinclude programmable logic devices (PLD) that allow circuitconfiguration to be modified post-manufacture, such as afield-programmable gate array (FPGA), and dedicated electric circuits,these being processors including a circuit configuration custom-designedto execute specific processing, such as an application specificintegrated circuit (ASIC). The various processing may be executed by anyone of these various types of processor, or by a combination of two ormore of the same type or different types of processor (such as pluralFPGAs, or a combination of a CPU and an FPGA). The hardware structure ofthese various types of processors is more specifically an electriccircuit combining circuit elements such as semiconductor elements.

In the above exemplary embodiments, the program is in a formatpre-stored (installed) in a computer-readable non-transitory recordingmedium. For example, the control program 100 of the display controldevice 20 is pre-stored in the storage 20D. However, there is nolimitation thereto, and a program may be provided in a format recordedon a non-transitory recording medium such as compact disc read onlymemory (CD-ROM), digital versatile disc read only memory (DVD-ROM), oruniversal serial bus (USB) memory. Alternatively, a program may beprovided in a format downloadable from an external device through anetwork.

The flows of processing explained in the above exemplary embodiments aremerely examples, and superfluous steps may be omitted, new steps may beadded, or the processing sequence may be changed within a range notdeparting from the spirit of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A display control device, comprising: processingcircuitry configured to output an image to a projector configured toproject an image onto an interior surface of a vehicle; acquire visioninformation of an occupant of the vehicle; detect misalignment between atarget image projected onto the interior surface and a design-referencestate of the target image based on the vision information, which isacquired while the occupant fixates on the target image projected ontothe interior surface, wherein the target image includes at least onefeature point, the vision information is position information of afixation point when the occupant fixates on one particular feature pointon the interior surface, and the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to detect the misalignment by comparing a design-referenceposition of the one particular feature point against a position of theone fixation point corresponding to the one particular feature point;and correct an image projected by the projector based on the detectedmisalignment, wherein a single one of the at least one feature point isincluded in the target image when the vehicle is being utilized by theoccupant; and the processing circuitry is further configured to performcorrection when the detected misalignment is within a permissible rangewithin which correction is permitted, and perform a prescribednotification when the detected misalignment exceeds the permissiblerange within which the correction is permitted.
 2. The display controldevice of claim 1, wherein the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to output the target image to the projector when theprojector is being assembled in the vehicle, the target image includinga plurality of feature points to be displayed at a plurality ofdifferent positions on the interior surface.
 3. The display controldevice of claim 2, wherein the projector is further configured to outputthe target image such that the plurality of feature points aresequentially displayed on the interior surface.
 4. The display controldevice of claim 2, wherein the target image output by the projectorincludes at least one of the feature points displayed inside aprescribed region of the interior surface, and feature points aredisplayed at least at four locations at an outer edge of the prescribedregion.
 5. The display control device of claim 1, wherein, when settinginformation to make the correction is received from a server that hasreceived the prescribed notification, the processing circuitry isfurther configured to attempt to apply a setting based on the settinginformation.
 6. The display control device of claim 1, wherein theprocessing circuitry is further configured to receive, from a serverthat has received the prescribed notification, information prompting theoccupant to instigate a repair.
 7. The display control device of claim1, wherein the processing circuitry is further configured to: as thefeature point, output, to the projector, a target employed to acquireiris information of the occupant by authentication circuitry configuredto perform iris authentication; and while the iris authentication isbeing performed, detect the misalignment based on the iris informationacquired by the authentication circuitry when the occupant fixates onthe target.
 8. The display control device of claim 1, wherein: thevision information is viewpoint information regarding an observationpoint of an eye of the occupant; and the processing circuitry is furtherconfigured to detect the misalignment by comparing a design-referenceshape of the target image against an apparent shape of the target imagebased on the viewpoint information and a profile of the interiorsurface.
 9. The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processorprocessing circuitry is further configured to: perform correction toreshape an image projected by the projector so as to eliminate thedetected misalignment; and output the corrected image to the projector.10. The display control device of claim 1, wherein the processingcircuitry is further configured to notify a server when the detectedmisalignment exceeds the permissible range, such that correction is notpermitted.
 11. An image correction method, comprising: outputting animage to a projector configured to project an image onto an interiorsurface of a vehicle; acquiring vision information of an occupant of thevehicle; detecting misalignment between a target image projected ontothe interior surface and a design-reference state of the target imagebased on the vision information, which is acquired while the occupantfixates on the target image projected onto the interior surface, whereinthe target image includes at least one feature point, the visioninformation is position information of a fixation point when theoccupant fixates on one particular feature point on the interiorsurface, and the detecting step further comprises detecting themisalignment by comparing a design-reference position of the oneparticular feature point against a position of the one fixation pointcorresponding to the one particular feature point; and correcting aprojected image based on the detected misalignment, wherein a single oneof the at least one feature point is included in the target image whenthe vehicle is being utilized by the occupant; and the method furtherincludes performing correction when the detected misalignment is withina permissible range within which correction is permitted, and performinga prescribed notification when the detected misalignment exceeds thepermissible range within which the correction is permitted.
 12. Anon-transitory computer-readable recording medium recorded with aprogram that when executed by a computer, causes the computer to performa method, the method comprising: outputting an image to a projectorconfigured to project an image onto an interior surface of a vehicle;acquiring vision information of an occupant of the vehicle; detectingmisalignment between a target image projected onto the interior surfaceand a design-reference state of the target image based on the visioninformation, which is acquired while the occupant fixates on the targetimage projected onto the interior surface, wherein the target imageincludes at least one feature point, the vision information is positioninformation of a fixation point when the occupant fixates on oneparticular feature point on the interior surface, and the detecting stepfurther comprises detecting the misalignment by comparing adesign-reference position of the one particular feature point against aposition of the one fixation point corresponding to the one particularfeature point; and correcting a projected image based on the detectedmisalignment, wherein a single one of the at least one feature point isincluded in the target image when the vehicle is being utilized by theoccupant; and the method further includes performing correction when thedetected misalignment is within a permissible range within whichcorrection is permitted, and performing a prescribed notification whenthe detected misalignment exceeds the permissible range within which thecorrection is permitted.